The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-03-31

whitewashed cells rise, tier upon tier.
Every thing was scrdpulously clean;
pure air and sunshine streamed in
from the long corridor looking out
upon the yard; yet this vista of
sepulchral stone walls and narrow,
barred doors was the saddest and
dreariest that we encountered at Sing
Sing.
The Office of Principal Keeper James
Connaughton, on the ground floor,
opens upon the yard through which
gangs of convicts file in lockstep to
their meals. in the basement of large
stone building opposite. Mr.. Con-
naughton is the direct organizer and
disciplinarian of the entire force
of conyicts. His position ia one
of arduous responsibility, which
man Of less frmess could
not maintain for a single day. He is
an erect powerfully built man of med
ium height, with smooth. clear-cut
face and steel-blue eyes. Though some
what taciturn himself, he is much
talked about, and has been made con-
spicious figure in certain sensational
stories relating in graphic style things
that never happened at Sing Sing.
There is, indeed, punishment ROOM;
and being situated in close proximity
to Mr.. Connaughton's office. 1t is the
first place he showed US. Whoever eS-
naota RI find baro n ro,1atitiOp of tho
dungeons and torture-chambers of
Chillon will be disappointed. 1t con-
tains about score of cells, which may
be completely darkened by closing a
| wooden door outside the barred
one. None of these were occupied at
the time of our visit. There are also
two machines for suspending rebellious
convicts by the thumbs, and raising
them on tiptoe. This is a severe pun
ishment, seldom resorted to; and the
toughest subject can not stand it for
more than half a minute Minor penal
ties consist of cutting off a prisoner s
tobacco privilege, or depriving him of
his place at the head of column in the
march to meals, should he chance to
hold that coveted position.
Under the guidance of Mr.. Con-
naughton, we made quite a thorough
tour of the workshops. They were. at
! the time of our visit, perfect hives of
industry, employing over 1, 900 convicts
at stovemaking. shoemaking and laun-
dry work. The iron works are ex-
tensive and very picturesque One
passes through heavy doors, grlmy
gates, under tumbledown sheds, and
down long lanes hemmed in by heaps
of iron, rows of stoves, or molding ap-
paratus. Here and there stand super
animated old furnaces. looming up
gigantically in the deep shadow.
Workmen dart mysteriously hither and
thither, trundling wheelbarrows or
hauling trucks. Then we emerge into
the molding-rooms, and most Animal
ed scene they present. The men have
thrown off their striped coats and caps,
which, with their bright-colored ban
danna handkerchiefs. hang about on
beams and hooks. The fire glows,
and the clangor of machineryis heard,
but not a word is spoken. Sparrows
twltter in the blackened rafters over
head and shafts of brilliant sunlight
pierce the smoky atmosphere The
men work with a will, never looking
up, though many a furtive glance is cast
at us as we turn to 60 out Through
the fitting, finishing and packing de-
partments, to where the perfect stoves
are sent out, we observe the same al
most feverish activity among the work
men. 1t is to them welcome distrac-
ton; and the only prisoners who
looked really discontinued and miser-
able were those shut up in the cell tiers
in temporary idleness. Strange to say,
no one breads the calamity of being
''out of work" more than the State
prison convict. That, however, will
soon be the unhappy predicament of
practically the whole force at Sing
Sing; for the State has just abolished
contract labor in the prisons. AS no
other employment has been provided
to replace the existing contracts, which
are about to expire, the convicts will
have nothing to do. The cost of their
maintenance will be increased, and
the question of discipline complicated.
In the bakery we saw half-a-dozen
men working around the margin of a
sea of dough, while others took from
the ovens pile of huge, square, we'll
Drowned loaves- The staff of life at
Sing Sing is commercially sound
and wholesome. In an adjoining room,
two striped worthless are employed
at the not uncongenial task of prepar-
ing and putting up the packages of to-
bacco-good for either smoking or
chewing are issued to the con-
victs every Saturday night In one of
these men we recognized the first of the
celebrities for whom we are naturally
keeping an eye open-Henry W.
Jaehne, ex-president of the New York
Board of Aldermen. Alas, poor
Jaehne! Where be your gibes now?
your combines? your ''boodle'P
Hundreds of men are at work in the
laundry-not upon their own linen, but
starching and ironing shirts by whole
sale for some New York firm. We see
a good many negroes here, and one or
two Italians with gold earrings, but
not single chinaman. Upstairs, in a
large, well-lighted room, filled with
racks and packing-cases, we encounter
axAIdorpooo MoOuada McOuada
made hard fight. and spent most of